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Member of: Barrett, The Honors College Thesis/Creative Project Collection

Translation of the Second Half of "Inimitability of the Quran, Between Theory and Application"

Description

The goal of this project is to translate a philosophical book that discusses the inimitavility of the Holy Qur'an from a philosophical perspective. Half of the book "Inimitability of the Qur'an, between theory and application" by Mahmud Ni'mah Al-Jayyashi, was found to be the ideal choice for the project; thus, the specified part was translated. In the preface, the book discussed divisions of miracles and found that the Qur'an is an intellectual miracle. Then in the first chapter it discussed the aspects and foundations of miracles. It listed most of the inimitable aspects of the Holy Qur'an which were mentioned by different Muslin scholars. In the second chapter, it discussed the author's view of the main inimitable aspects of the Holy Qur'an. It also discussed the elements of the Qur'anic challenge by whom the Qur'an was sent, the no-contradiction challenge, and the pure and eloquent style of the Holy Qur'an.

ContributorsAl Moosawi, Mohamed (Author) / Risha, Sarah (Thesis director) / Neimeh, Mousa (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)

Created2014-12

The Science of Qur'an Recitation with Tajweed and Tarteel, Including a Historical Background of the pre-Islamic Era and the Compilation of the Qur'an.

Description

“Recite (read)! In the name of your lord who has created all that exists” (1:96 Qur‟an). “Iqra” was the first word revealed to the Prophet of Islam (PBUH). The word “iqra” is an imperative verb in Arabic, and in the context of the verse it is commanding the Prophet (PBUH) to recite. This fact carries great significance as it was the first command given to the Muslims (Ibn Kathir). Muslims believe the Qur'an is in its original form and language, Arabic. Arabic is considered to be in inexhaustible language due to its vast vocabulary and root-based origin (Humza Yusuf). Each root is typically based on three letters, which are conjugated in different ways to creating individual words. Any word in the Qur'an can be traced back to a root word, thus enhancing the meaning of each carefully chosen phrase (Ibn Kathir). The word “al-Qur'an”, means, the book that is recited, therefore, it is fitting that the first verse revealed pertains to its recital. According to history the majority of civilizations were built off scripture or books. The Greeks had Homer, the Egyptians had hieroglyphics, the Christians had the Bible, and the Hebrews had the Torah. Interestingly enough, the Pre-Islamic Arabs were an ancient civilization with no book; the Qur'an was the first book in Arabic history. This was earthshattering for the Arabs of the time, as it was something new and went against the tradition, however, the revelation of the Qur'an proved to be the most influential occurrence in the Arab history. The Qur'an is a literary masterpiece, flaunting its superior style forming moving and powerful verses. The layout of the Qur'an is quite simple, as it contains thirty parts, called ajzaa (juz singular), which altogether make up 114 chapters, called surahs (Humza Yusuf). The beginning surahs are longer, and the verses are lengthy, while the latter surahs are much shorter and the verses are succinct and direct (Qur'an al Kareem). Each verse is known as an “ayah, ayaat (pl)” directly translated to mean a “sign” or a “miracle” in the Arabic language. There are over 6,600 ayaat in the Qur'an, ranging from some just one or two words, while others are hundreds of words. Each surah, has a general theme, and each surah is given at least one title, while a few surahs have more than one title (Humza Yusuf).

ContributorsShakoor, Momin (Author) / Ali, Souad T. (Thesis director) / Gallab, Abdullahi (Committee member) / Risha, Sarah (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (Contributor)

Created2012-12

The Politicization of Arabic Language Education: A Comparative Analysis of Language Materials Utilized in Arabic versus Italian Courses at Universities in the United States

Description

Beautiful and rich in history, the Arabic language is spoken by over 422 million people. The language has significant social and political importance, and it is increasingly taught in universities around the United States. When languages are taught their aim should be not only to teach learners to communicate effectively, but also to gain a deep understanding and respect of culture, people, and history. The Al-Kitaab textbook series by Georgetown University Press is utilized as the main learning material in most universities in the United States to teach Arabic language. The highly political and negative nature of the series limits students’ comprehension to a political perspective influenced by the conflicts in the Middle East and has a severe impact on not only students’ learning ability but also their perception of the Arabic language and culture. While the series sufficiently provides the political vocabulary necessary for roles in government, it overlooks the importance of a full understanding of the cultural richness and nuances of the Arabic language necessary for an appreciation of history, arts, and literature of the region. The overarching objective of this project is to analyze the Georgetown University Press Al-Kitaab textbook series for Arabic language instruction and compare it to the Vista Higher Learning Sentieri textbook for Italian language instruction to plan a new Arabic curriculum to increase student enrollment. This comparison will explore recurring themes present in each textbook series and display the detrimental and outdated depictions of Arab culture presented throughout the Al-Kitaab series. Different aspects of the textbooks will be discussed including vocabulary and vocabulary progression, biographies of important figures, in-text activities, reading passages, and recurrent themes. Through revamping the learning materials used to teach Arabic, Arizona State University (ASU) and the School of International Letters and Cultures (SILC) can become innovative leaders in the instruction of university-level Arabic language.

ContributorsMouti, Xeynab (Author) / Risha, Sarah (Thesis director) / Dell'Anna, Antonella (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Earth and Space Exploration (Contributor) / School of Life Sciences (Contributor)

Created2023-05